- 5 minutes ago
Europe Today: Ο Καναδάς χαιρετίζει την πρόταση της ΕΕ για «συνδεδεμένο μέλος», αλλά τι ακολουθεί
Το Europe Today εξετάζει τι σημαίνει η νέα ιδιότητα συνδεδεμένου μέλους της ΕΕ για τον Καναδά, την ώρα που οι υπουργοί Οικονομικών συνεδριάζουν στο Δουβλίνο για το ενεργειακό κόστος, και μεταφέρει αντιδράσεις στον νέο Kids Act που περιορίζει τα social media και τα chatbot ΤΝ για παιδιά κάτω των 15
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ : http://gr.euronews.com/2026/09/18/europe-today-canada-welcomes-eus-associate-member-offer-but-what-next
Γίνε συνδρομητής! ! Το euronews είναι διαθέσιμο σε 12 γλώσσες
Το Europe Today εξετάζει τι σημαίνει η νέα ιδιότητα συνδεδεμένου μέλους της ΕΕ για τον Καναδά, την ώρα που οι υπουργοί Οικονομικών συνεδριάζουν στο Δουβλίνο για το ενεργειακό κόστος, και μεταφέρει αντιδράσεις στον νέο Kids Act που περιορίζει τα social media και τα chatbot ΤΝ για παιδιά κάτω των 15
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ : http://gr.euronews.com/2026/09/18/europe-today-canada-welcomes-eus-associate-member-offer-but-what-next
Γίνε συνδρομητής! ! Το euronews είναι διαθέσιμο σε 12 γλώσσες
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00:14Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:30A few finance ministers are meeting in Ireland in a bid to rein in the spiralling crisis.
00:35With winter fast approaching, your news' Shona Murray sat down exclusively with Ireland's finance minister Simon Harris.
00:42We'll be in Dublin with an update.
00:44Meanwhile, at least 20 people have been injured and energy grids damaged after Russia unleashed a fresh barrage of missile
00:51strikes across Ukraine.
00:53Poland's Donald Tusk heads to Kiev today, just days after Russian drone strikes hit close to the Polish border.
01:00This, as President Donald Trump says, he's reached a crossroads regarding the war in Iran.
01:05And UN experts say there's now reasonable grounds to believe that the US committed war crimes inside Iran.
01:11Plus, Sweden's centre-right Prime Minister Ulf Christensen has announced his resignation after losing last weekend's parliamentary election.
01:19The move paves the way for left-wing opposition leader Magdalena Andersen to form a government, a task that could
01:27take months.
01:29But first, after receiving a rock star welcome in Strasbourg, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the invitation to make
01:36Canada the first ever associate member of the European Union.
01:39Though he stopped short of seeking full membership or ceding sovereignty.
01:43The big question, of course, is what would this new status for Canada look like and how it would differ
01:48from existing partnerships?
01:49To dive a little bit deeper, our EU correspondent, Anders Gudens, joins me now for analysis.
01:54Just tell us, help us digest this news that, of course, comes after a very long week.
01:58Yes, good morning, Maeve.
01:59A mammoth week for European citizens as well as newsmakers.
02:03And it started well with a bang with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen taking the floor of the
02:08hemicycle in Strasbourg,
02:10using her agenda-setting State of the European Union address to surprise us all with this invitation to Canada to
02:17become the first associate member of the European Union.
02:20And to give you a little bit of insight into how the sausage is made when it comes to journalism,
02:24us journalists usually get embargoed copies of important documents such as this speech and this invitation was not included.
02:32So this meant journalists like me, we leapt out of our seats when this was broadcast all around the world.
02:39But we're really left with digesting what this associate membership really means.
02:44And we're expecting the journalists to get underway with that today.
02:47And tell us, how was the reaction in Canada?
02:49Yeah, so Canada has been widely supportive of this.
02:54The Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, took to the floor of the hemicycle with his own speech.
02:58In between selfies as well as thunderous applause, he took to the floor.
03:02The middle power icon, he stated, he welcomed this alliance.
03:06But he skirted around the details of what this actually meant.
03:09But it would be forged on a partnership strengthened by energy, defence, security and trade and a touch of civility.
03:17Let's take a listen to what he had to say.
03:19I also want to be precise about what I am not proposing.
03:27I'm not proposing a third block in order to become a great power rival only with better manners.
03:36We do not seek power to dominate others.
03:40On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so no one, no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty,
03:50threaten our territorial integrity or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law.
04:01Mark Carney there yesterday in the Parliament in Strasbourg.
04:03But Angie, beyond the hype and all the pictures of maple syrup, how will this work in reality?
04:08Yes, so that is really yet to be seen.
04:10Mark Carney stressed that it's up to the European Union to define what this relationship is.
04:14We're expecting that to be developed before an EU-Canada summit scheduled in Montreal in late October.
04:20The ball really is with the European Union's court.
04:24We know that from the EU officials that I've spoken to, however, they weren't totally consulted by the European Commission
04:30President when it came to this pitch.
04:32So we're expecting some heated discussions certainly underway.
04:36When this is proposed formally to Mark Carney with the terms of the relationship, it will then go to the
04:41Canadian Parliament for those lawmakers to vote on it.
04:44But what is really clear is that while these geopolitical tectonic plates continue to shift with increasingly bellicose U.S.
04:52President Donald Trump with that trade war with Canada,
04:54we expect Canada and the EU to become closer.
04:58But that is yet to be seen what that exactly means.
05:00OK, Andreas Kugin, thank you so much for that analysis.
05:03And now we can head to Dublin, where European finance ministers are gathering for two days of talks,
05:09joined, in fact, by their counterparts from Canada and the UK.
05:12This big announcement of a so-called associate membership for Canada, of course, top of the list today,
05:17along with spiralling petrol and diesel prices.
05:20Our correspondent Shona Murray is in Dublin for us this morning and joins us now.
05:25So tell us, Shona, what is being said about this prospect of a closer Canadian relationship?
05:32Well, good morning, Maeve.
05:33I mean, as Ireland is the president of the European Council, they were the first to welcome this.
05:37I mean, it makes sense.
05:39I think there's an acknowledgement across Europe that this is about the shifting nature of global politics,
05:43but also the transatlantic relationship of which the United States was the linchpin.
05:48But we know Canada is embroiled in a very disruptive trade war with the U.S.
05:52The U.S. has had its trade issues with the United States.
05:55We also have even heard overnight that the United States is due to 25,000 troops from NATO territory.
06:02So the U.S. is no longer the ally or the partner it once was.
06:07So therefore, it makes sense that Canada and the EU would move closer together as like-minded organizations, countries and
06:15so on.
06:16So that does make quite a bit of sense.
06:19There's also a feeling, really, that we don't know whether this is going to be rooted in law or what
06:25the negotiations will emerge like.
06:27But for the moment, definitely welcoming news, Maeve.
06:30And as you say, Shona, the Irish were the first to react.
06:32And you actually sat down exclusively with the Irish finance minister.
06:35What did he have to say?
06:39Well, that's right, Maeve.
06:40I mean, all the EU ministers are here in Dublin for an ECOFIN meeting, but also they'll be joined by
06:46their Canadian counterparts, their British counterparts.
06:48So there will be a discussion really about the windfall profits that energy companies are making as part of the
06:55chaos, the ongoing chaos, particularly within the Middle East.
06:58And there's been calls by some European capitals for taxes on that so that the exchequers in each country can
07:05then deliver a little bit of appeasement when it comes to people's energy bills.
07:09That's high on the agenda.
07:10Also, the future of AI will be very much up for discussion, although no major breakthrough in terms of what
07:16the investments will be.
07:17But I caught up with Simon Harris, who's deputy prime minister and the finance minister of Ireland.
07:22And I asked him first about the negotiations with Canada.
07:26The actual meaning behind the phrase is something, quite frankly, yet to be determined.
07:29But it bothers us less because, you know, you can use whatever phrase you want.
07:33The good news here is that the State of the Union made a real signal of intent to have a
07:38much closer relationship between Canada and the European Union.
07:41And I think we can't gloss over that fact.
07:43The fact that the European Union, in the speech delivered by the president of the commission, where you really outlined
07:47the big strategic projects for the time ahead,
07:50has identified a closer working relationship with Canada as a priority for the European Union.
07:54And then to see the prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, respond in kind.
07:58Donald Trump has said it's a hostile act and he'll apply even more tariffs on both sides.
08:02This is not a hostile act towards anybody.
08:05This is a positive development for the European Union wishing to partner with Canada, which we already do, in areas
08:10of common interest.
08:11But of course, we'll continue to economically partner with the United States.
08:14We have a trade agreement with the United States.
08:16A lot of painstaking work went into that.
08:17We saw it advance even further in relation to Irish whiskey and the decision made by President Trump to remove
08:22tariffs from that last week.
08:24We need to build on that and find more opportunities.
08:26So this isn't either or.
08:28Can I talk to you about Aachenish, the plant here, the Russian-owned plant that exports aluminium to Russia?
08:36We know it also exports across Europe, but obviously there's a real concern that that is found then in the
08:42defence industry in Russia,
08:43which is obviously prosecuting this war against Ukraine.
08:47Will Ireland sanction that, even if it isn't formally as part of the sanctions regime?
08:52We don't cherry pick when it comes to sanctions.
08:54We stand with Ukraine.
08:56The European Union stands with Ukraine.
08:57Ireland is the president of the Council of the European Union, stands with Ukraine.
09:01and there's a war taking place on the continent of Europe, and we must stand with Ukraine for as long
09:05as it takes.
09:05The issue, though, in terms of what is sanctioned or not, is a matter in the first instance for the
09:09Commission to bring forward proposals.
09:11That's always been the approach we've taken in this country, sanctions at an EU level.
09:15I think it has served the collective European effort against Russia well.
09:20But we've been very clear, too, Illumina is not a product used in Ireland.
09:24It is, though, perhaps a critical supply chain for many parts of the European economy.
09:28The evidence is that the Illumina does make its way into Russia.
09:32I mean, Russia has a war economy anyway, so, you know, it does make sense that it would definitely be
09:37part of the war machine.
09:38Would it be something that Ireland would consider doing unilaterally?
09:41Ireland's approach to sanctions have always been to operate at a European level, and we've been consistent in relation to
09:46that.
09:47I think it would be rather odd for Ireland to adopt any other approach.
09:49We've seen spiralling prices when it comes to energy costs.
09:53diesel in particular.
09:55We heard Donald Trump say that part of the reason for the diesel high prices is Zelensky attacking Russian diesel
10:02infrastructure,
10:03not at all relating that to the war in Iran.
10:06Do you agree with that?
10:07No, I mean, the reason there's a major energy crisis in the world right now is because the Strait of
10:11Hormuz is closed.
10:12And the most pressing issue on the mind of all European finance ministers, and I think, quite frankly, most of
10:18our citizens across the European Union,
10:19and certainly here in Ireland, is energy prices.
10:21Energy prices at the pump, of course, in relation to diesel and petrol.
10:25Prices on the farm in relation to things like green diesel.
10:28But now, as you come into the winter period, the cost of heating your home and the cost of energy
10:32in people's home, too.
10:34And governments around the world, including in Ireland, are seeking to make interventions to assist people.
10:40But I always make the point, I would make it again today, the greatest economic intervention we could see is
10:45de-escalation in the Middle East.
10:47Your fellow finance ministers have asked you to look at a potential windfall tax for energy companies that are earning
10:52billions and what everybody else is suffering.
10:54Can you tell us where you are with that?
10:56Is it something that you support?
10:57Our energy company is making extraordinarily large profits on the back of this energy crisis,
11:03and they're not making those profits on the basis of being more enterprising or being innovative.
11:06This isn't about rewarding enterprise.
11:08They're making the profits because of the chaos that we're seeing in the energy markets as a result of the
11:12Strait of Hormuz being closed.
11:14So I will be working with colleagues in the first instance here in Dublin this weekend to have an initial
11:19conversation around a windfall energy tax.
11:25And sticking to that very topic, the World Economic Forum has published a new study circling out high energy costs
11:31as the biggest drag on European competitiveness with electricity prices two or three times more than competing economies.
11:38For more, we can head now over to Switzerland and bring in Andrew Caruana Galicia from the World Economic Forum.
11:44Good morning and thank you so much for joining us.
11:47Just tell us, based on your research, how can this major problem be addressed?
12:01We're having a little problem with the sound there, speaking to Andrew Caruana Galicia.
12:06He's the head of Europe and Eurasia at the World Economic Forum.
12:09We'll come back to him a little bit later in the programme.
12:12But now, moving on to the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen,
12:16and the Tech Commissioner Henne Verkunen have officially unveiled their EU Kids Act,
12:22proposing block-wide rules to protect teenagers online, especially from AI chatbots.
12:27To hear if people in this town support the idea, our Adnan Leal took to the streets to ask them.
12:41And in just a minute, we'll bring you that report that our Adnan Leal was out on the streets
12:46asking people here in Brussels if they're in favour of it.
12:49We'll bring you that in just a minute.
12:50But now, actually, we can speak to Cecilia Bonnefeld-Dal,
12:54that is the head of Digital Europe, the Brussels-based group that represents Meta,
12:58Google, OpenAI, TikTok, and Microsoft.
13:01Good morning, and hopefully we can hear you and see you clearly.
13:05And excuse me to our viewers for the previous technical hiccups.
13:07Just tell us, what does Digital Europe feel about this law?
13:10Are you for it or are you against it, this proposal, I must say?
13:15Good morning.
13:16And, well, Digital Europe represent around 65,000 companies in 35 countries.
13:22And I can tell you that the digital community of the digitalising industries,
13:27we are all in favour of protection of children.
13:31I mean, we have seen around 10 member states already putting forward proposals
13:37on how to regulate this.
13:39You have both Malaysia and Australia already who has regulated this.
13:46And, of course, protection of children is high on our agenda across the board.
13:51And really an alignment of the European regulations will be absolutely key.
13:57we cannot have that if you live in Denmark, your protection as a child is different
14:03from the one in Germany and Spain.
14:04So it is an absolutely crucial moment for the Commission to put this forward
14:09and to align across the board on how we protect our children online.
14:14Of course, part of this law would shift responsibility to the tech companies themselves
14:18that you, of course, represent to protect children.
14:20Will they?
14:21Will they self-police?
14:23I mean, a protection of children online cannot be only one person's responsibility
14:30or one party's responsibility.
14:32It is a joint responsibility on public and private sector.
14:37And, of course, we already have a lot of different protections in place.
14:43What is important now is that we find the right balance and that we actually get it to function.
14:48The biggest risk is really that if you are a child or parent, that you have to interpretate 27 different
14:54national rules
14:55and you end up being confused about what is allowed and what is not allowed.
15:00And then, of course, we need to be totally sure that we are not inventing something that we already have.
15:06We already have extensive platform regulations, the AI Act, the data protection in GDPR, the DSA, the AI Act, and
15:17the GDPR, of course.
15:19So the Kids Act really have to find that extra layer on top that is needed to give the right
15:26protections for children.
15:27And just last week, we heard that AI could wipe out humanity.
15:30How do you react to these comments?
15:34Well, I think we should say AI is a tool.
15:38And as any other tool, we need to find the right balance of how we use that tool.
15:44AI is also the only way that we can do online protection or that we can do cyber protection from
15:50big cyber attacks.
15:51It is the only way that we can cure cancer or make important optimization of what you're going to talk
15:59about in a second, the energy grid.
16:02So AI is basically a ticket to a lot of good things.
16:06But there are things that, of course, we need to look at how to avoid those risks.
16:10So without AI, there is also no online protection of children.
16:15OK, Cecilia Bonifield.
16:17Dal, thank you so much for joining us.
16:18And as you kindly pointed out, we will now continue to discuss the energy grid and the impact it's having
16:23on our pockets.
16:24Andrew Caruana Galicia from the World Economic Forum is on the line there and can hopefully join us now.
16:31Just tell us, how can this issue be addressed, Andrew?
16:33We know that European gas prices are also currently four times more than in the United States.
16:48And unfortunately, we're still having difficulty crossing over to speak to Andrew Caruana Galicia there from, of course, the World
16:54Economic Forum,
16:56the organization that represents the annual Davos Summit that takes place, of course, every year in January and sets the
17:04agenda for the year.
17:06And his report is, of course, available online to read at Euronews.com and digs deep into the fact that
17:12two years after Mario Draghi came out with the report,
17:15only 15% of it has been implemented.
17:18Another, of course, major point in that is security.
17:21And I'm still joined here on set by our Angie Scudins, who covers security and defense for us here at
17:26Euronews.
17:26And it's just back, in fact, from Latvia last week where you covered that summit.
17:30And this week, Angie, in that State of the Union speech, we saw a big focus on security, on defense,
17:36and also this idea of a potential security structure that could be created,
17:39with many MEPs complaining that that could actually rival NATO.
17:43Your thoughts?
17:44So what I've picked up from my conversations with defense officials and the chatter that I've seen online is that
17:50there's a real risk of duplication here.
17:52We don't want Ursula von der Leyen's pitch of the European Security Council to rival NATO.
17:57NATO has been around for decades.
17:58It's got some very powerful members, such as the United States.
18:02They don't want this structure to potentially impede on the decision-making processes of NATO
18:07and to rival NATO without the United States, which is arguably the most powerful player when it comes to NATO.
18:13We also have seen so many groups set up with the task of ensuring Europe's defense and security.
18:19We've got the Coalition of the Willing, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
18:23Will another group rival all of these and also blunt the efficacy of these organizations?
18:30The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, last year also unveiled a huge amount of defense projects.
18:37We're talking about the Drone Wall Initiative, which was arguably a bit of a flop.
18:41We've seen so many drones enter Europe's airspace.
18:44So the real question here is whether all of these initiatives, including the European Defense Council,
18:51whether it can meet up to the hype or the promise of what von der Leyen has met, has stated.
18:59But that is truly yet to be seen.
19:00And we're expecting some more commentary to come through from those experts as well.
19:05And that's always the problem, isn't it, with those State of the Union speeches.
19:09In one way, she has to promise a lot.
19:11But then, of course, implementation is always key.
19:13And particularly when it comes to announcements coming out from the United States
19:17with the 25,000 troops that are going to be withdrawn, taken back from the European continent.
19:24OK, Angela Scudin, thank you so much for your reporting.
19:26And, of course, to everyone here at Euronews, which was a very busy week.
19:29But that does bring this edition of Europe Today to an end.
19:32Thank you so much for your company, as always.
19:35Any points or comments on any of the stories we're covering for you here
19:38or any stories that we've missed, you can reach out europetoday at euronews.com.
19:42That is our email address.
19:43Take care and see you soon on Euronews.
20:06Thank you so much for joining us.
20:07Thank you.
20:17Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
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